The invention is concerned with a powder, especially a metallic powder for marking workpieces.
Metallic powders which are applied to a workpiece by means of a marking nozzle in order to mark it for later processing are known to the overall state of the art. The metallic powders used up to now are very fine, that is, flour-like and have a particle size of about 3-10.mu.. Since, in the case of this flour-like metallic flour dust, the individual particles are directly against one another, there results, in large measure, an agglomeration. This has, however, the disadvantage that the transport of the flour-like powder from a supply bin to the marking nozzle by means of oxygen occurs in a very erratic manner. Beyond this it is required to work with high oxygen pressure (2-3 bar).
The erratic transport of the metallic powder caused by the agglomeration has a further disadvantageous influence upon the line to be produced on the surface of a workpiece with regard to the line's width and thickness. Because of the lack of continuity, it can happen during the marking process that, suddenly, too much metallic powder comes out of the marking nozzle, which then burns in the heating flames surrounding the stream of metallic powder. An undesirable formation of smoke which contaminates the environment results.